1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to input devices for capturing information on a document, and may relate more particularly to capturing the information with an optical scanner. A specific application includes capturing such information, where the information includes a network address, transmitting the information to an information handling system, and accessing the information at network address.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known to scan information into an information handling system using a hand-held or stationary scanner. For example, a common use of scanners for home computer users is to scan photographs for sending to family members attached to e-mail. Hand-held scanners are used by grocery store stock personnel and stationary scanners are used at grocery store checkout counters to scan product codes.
Recently, a hand-held scanning device referred to as a xe2x80x9c:Cue :C.A.T.xe2x80x9d (trademark of Digital Convergence.Com Inc.) has been widely distributed free of charge to consumers for coupling to a home computer to scan in product codes and the like on publications and product labels. The accompanying software distributed with the :Cue :C.A.T. converts the codes to Internet addresses, so that publishers and others can direct consumers to their web sites. This is especially useful for consumers who find it difficult or inconvenient to remember or read or key in Internet addresses.
Systems such as the above described do offer features that may be useful for inputting information to an information handling system and even for accessing the Internet. However, it is somewhat limiting to access the Internet by reading special bar codes. Moreover, existing Internet browser programs are conventionally set up to input Internet addresses in normal text characters, so specialized software is required for interfacing to a conventional browser so that the bar codes are presented to the browser as Internet addresses. These limitations may place an burden on web sites that seek to be widely accessible, particularly for web sites that do not have extensive financial resources to harness mass-media consumer channels.
Thus, while some advances have been made in the use of scanners, and even in their use for accessing information on the Internet, a need still exist for improvements.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a device for capturing information from a document to be input to an information handling system (xe2x80x9cIHSxe2x80x9d) includes a housing that a user may selectively place to reveal a first portion of the document. That is, the housing defines a viewing area, such as by defining an opening through which the first portion of the document may be viewed. The housing has a shutter for selecting a subportion of the first revealed portion of the document by shutting off a portion of the viewing area, thereby hiding a portion of the first revealed portion of the document and revealing only the selected subportion. A scanner for capturing an image of the revealed subportion of the document is movably attached to the housing. The selected subportion of the document could, for example, be limited by the user to an Internet address. In this case, the device may be particularly advantageous for users who find it difficult to remember, or read and key in Internet addresses, since it does not require significant use of a keyboard. Furthermore, it does not require the information to be specially coded, as will be further explained hereinbelow.
In another aspect, the input device includes a magnifying lens for displaying an enlarged view of the portion of the document revealed in the viewing area, so that a user of the input device may more precisely select the subportion of the document. This is particularly helpful for users which are visually impaired.
In another aspect, the shutter has a first and second flap. The flaps are adjustable for shutting off the viewing area in different directions. For example, the first flap may shut off the viewing area in a vertical direction, while the second flap shuts off in a horizontal direction. This permits delimiting the selected subportion of the document both in terms of the height and width of the subportion.
In one embodiment, the first flap is connected to a first shaft, and the first shaft is coupled to a first wheel, so that the user may turn the wheel to retract or extend the first flap and control an extent of vertically shutting off of the viewing area. Likewise, the second flap is connected to a second shaft, positioned substantially perpendicular to the first shaft and coupled to a second wheel, permitting the user to likewise horizontally shut off the viewing area.
In yet another aspect, a motor is attached to the scanner. The motor transports the scanner across the viewing area to capture the image of the revealed subportion of the document. The user may trigger this scanning once the user has positioned the housing and adjusted the flaps so that the only desired subportion of the document will be scanned.
In a method embodiment of the invention, information on a document is captured in a number of steps. First a housing is placed on the document such that a viewing area of the housing reveals a first revealed portion of the document. Next, a subportion of the first revealed portion is selected by shutting off a portion of the viewing area. This hides a portion of the first revealed portion of the document and reveals only the selected subportion. Then an image of the revealed subportion of the document is captured by a scanner attached to the housing.
The method may include a step which is especially helpful for users which are visually impaired. That is the method may include displaying an enlarged view of the portion of the document revealed in the viewing area by a magnifying lens.
In one embodiment, the selecting of the subportion of the document may include adjusting a first and second flap of a shutter to shut off the viewing area in two directions. This may further include turning a first wheel to rotate a first shaft connected to the first flap and retract or extend the first flap in one direction. Likewise a second wheel is turned to rotate a second shaft connected to the second flap and retract or extend the second flap another direction.
In a further aspect, the method includes transporting the scanner across the viewing area, by a motor attached to the scanner, responsive to a demand for the scanner to capture the image of the revealed subportion of the document.
According to the foregoing, the scanner may be coupled to an IHS for transmitting the image thereto. Pursuant to that feature, embodiments of the invention the foregoing apparatus and method may be extended further for capturing a network address from a document and accessing information in a network at the network address. In one such embodiment, an apparatus for accessing information in a network includes an IHS coupled to a network and to the above described input device. The input device has a housing as described hereinabove, and the document has printed characters. At least some of the printed characters define a certain network address, such as an Internet Protocol address, where information may be accessed.
Thus, in a method embodiment, a user may selectively place the above described housing on the document with the viewing area revealing a first portion of the document. Then the user may adjust the input device to reveal only the printed characters that define the certain network address, and trigger the scanner to capture and transmit an image of the characters to the IHS. Then the IHS extracts the characters from the image and accesses the information at the certain network address.
It is a particular advantage of the immediately preceding embodiments that visually impaired users may use the invention to capture Internet addresses from documents, such as magazines, and input them to a computer for browsing the Internet. These and other advantages of the invention will be further apparent from the following drawings and detailed description.